Recently, I heard someone merging two ideas about God that I’d not heard intersect: the idea that God has a plan and God is good.

The elaboration went on to suggest that everything happens for a reason, and no matter what those things are, something good always comes of it. It’s just a matter of finding it.

This was in response to people who ask, how can there be a god if there’s war, famine, etc. The idea was that no matter what it is, even if it’s war or famine, that if you look for it, good comes from it.

Exclusive to this, another friend of mine has suggested to me that people all have a mission, and their bodies are inhabited by souls in heaven who volunteer for various assignments.

Last year, a father and his daughter were photographed washed up on the shore of the Rio Grande, drowned trying to cross into the United States.

Her theory was that some soul volunteered to inhabit that girl’s body, knowing it was going to be a short life. But also knowing she would serve a great purpose by calling attention to the issue.

Whether or not you agree with the ideas, it brought me to today’s post.

No matter the degree to which you’re panicking, self-isolating, or taking this all seriously, there are changes taking place across the world (or variations of normal) that may or may not be permanent.

One thing is how many artists are doing what they can to stay in touch with people. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of examples, and I’ve chosen one that I’m experiencing right now.

Many people think artists, professional athletes, or celebrities are something special or untouchable. They melt in their presence. They don’t know what to say in those rare times they encounter a famous person.

It shouldn’t be like that. Artists, athletes, and celebrities are just people, like everyone else, with special talents. The difference is their talents are so far beyond normal (usually) that they’ve gotten noticed and gotten paid for it.

With all of the artists trying to stay connected, we’re starting to see just how human they are. Artists were already using all sorts of video chat and live stream technology to connect with fans. But now that they’re stuck in their homes with the rest of us, those connections are becoming far more intimate.

Ben Folds is one such artist connecting with fans. He’s currently “stranded” in Australia because he was doing a series of since-cancelled orchestra shows. Because he couldn’t travel back home to the United States, he rented an apartment for three months.

To stay connected, he’s doing a series of weekly video casts from his apartment. What makes them truly special is that you get the feeling he needs to do them to connect to fans as much as fans would like him to so they can stay connected to him.

The human needs it fulfills is mutual and very real. All of the pretense is stripped out. He’s just a talented guy doing what he can for people who, like him, are stuck at home.

Regardless of what you think of Ben Folds, this video from his apartment reveals the kinds of previously forbidden connections that are happening all over the world.